According to a new study in the Journal of Social Science and Medicine people, young and old, are significantly happier than middle-aged people (on average, men hit a hedonic low point at 50, women hit it at 40). According to the authors of the study, Andrew Oswald and David Blanchflower "it happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor and to those with and without children." This pattern was found in 70 countries.
This contradicts previous findings that your level of happiness remains relatively consistent or rises slightly (then declines slowly) throughout your life.
Excelsior!
C.L.Sosis
P.S. The good news: according to Oswald "by the time you are 70, if you are still physically fit, then on average you are as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old."
P.S.S. Check out this article from Judgement and Decision Making on the postive effect of positive affective states in the Iowa Gambling Task.
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